REPORTED SPEECH:Indirect Questions, Direct commands

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Journalistic Writing MCM310

LECTURE 14

REPORTED SPEECH

Direct Speech

Indirect Speech:

The speaker said, "When the inquiry was set

The speaker said that when the inquiry had

up last year, the Government was

been set up in the preceding year the

prompted by both national and local

Government had been prompted by both

motives."

national and local motives.

Indirect Speech (also referred to as 'reported speech') refers to a sentence reporting what someone has said. It

is almost always used in spoken English.

If the reporting verb (i.e. said) is in the past, the reported clause will be in a past form. This form is usually one

step back into the past from the original.

For example:

He said the test was difficult.

She said she watched TV every day.

Jack said he came to school every day.

If simple present, present perfect or the future is used in the reporting verb (i.e. says) the tense is retained.

For example:

He says the test is difficult.

She has said that she watches TV every day.

Jack will say that he comes to school every day.

If reporting a general truth the present tense will be retained.

For example: The teacher said that phrasal verbs are very important.

RULES FOR CHANGING DIRECT INTO INDIRECT:

1. Pronoun Change:

First person pronoun according to the

Subject

Second person pronoun according to

Object.

Third person pronoun

No change.

Subject Pronoun:

Possessive Pronoun:

Object Pronoun:

First Person:

Our

Second Person:

You

Your

You

Third Person:

His

Him

She

Her

Its

They

Their

Them

Journalistic Writing MCM310

For example:

1. He said, "I like you."

He told me that he liked me.

2. He said, "I will accept your offer."

He told me that he would accept my offer.

2. Adjective and adverb changes:

· This

becomes

That

These

becomes

Those

Here

becomes

There

Now

becomes

Then

Today

becomes

That day

Yesterday

becomes

Preceding day or previous day

Tomorrow

becomes

Next day or following day

3. Verb changes:

· See (pres.)

becomes

saw (past)

Saw

had seen

Is seen

was seen

Has seen

had seen

Was seeing

had been seen

Shall /will

should/would

were

Can/may

could/might

For example:

· Direct speech:

"In many parts of the country farmers who were formerly ploughing nearly all their land now have most of

it under grass."

· Indirect speech:

He said that in many parts of the country farmers who had formerly been ploughing nearly all their land

then had most of it under grass

Indirect Questions

When reporting questions, it is especially important to pay attention to sentence order. When reporting yes/no

questions connect the reported question using 'if'. When reporting questions using question words (why, where,

when, etc.) use the question word.

For example:

· She asked, "Do you want to come with me?" BECOMES She asked me if I wanted to come with

her.

Journalistic Writing MCM310

· Dave asked, "Where did you go last weekend?" BECOMES Dave asked me where I had gone the

previous weekend.

He asked, "Why are you studying English?" BECOMES She asked me why I was studying English.

"Will he come?" BECOMES He asked would he come.

Direct commands:

"Give all the help you can." BECOMES He asked that they should give all the help they could. Or He

asked them to give all the help they could. Or Let them give all the help they could.

Desires:

· "Hurrah! We have won the match." BECOMES They exclaimed with joy that they had won the match.

Check again:

He said, "I live in Paris."

He said he lived in Paris.

He said, "I am cooking dinner."

He said he was cooking dinner.

He said, "I have visited London twice."

He said he had visited London twice.

He said, "I went to New York last week."

He said he had gone to New York the week before.

He said, "I had already eaten."

He said he had already eaten.

He said, "I am going to find a new job."

He said he was going to find a new job.

He said, "I will give Jack a call."

He said he would give Jack a call.

Source: http://esl.about.com/od/grammarintermediate/a/reported_speech.htm

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